DUSSEHRA CELEBRATIONS

 

LT COL NOEL ELLIS

 

13/X/2024

 

Festive season has started in earnest. Eight days of fasting ended with Dussehra celebrations’, a relief for many who were missing their ‘chota-chota’ and ‘leg pieces’. Finally, good prevailed over evil. We all witnessed Evil burn to cinders and moved home to do just the opposite of the gyan we had gathered before ‘swa-haing’ Ravan.

 

In our country people are too creative and can see the good or evil in anything and everything. Similarly, Ravan could be imagined in electric poles and meters too.

 

Have you ever seen Ravan being evacuated to hospital? I have. Probably, in the battle of Lanka, after his grievous injuries, some ‘va-nars’ decided to take him to the hospital in an ambulance.

 

Ravan did not realise that that would still be his last journey. Hospitals are known for that. I am not sure who would have paid for Ravans medical expenses, unless he had a good Mediclaim policy or was part of RGHS or ECHS. Poor chap would have met his fate anyhow.

 

I happened to go to a ‘Ravan Market’. Yes, friends, Ravan was being sold on the road side. The effigy’s ranged from two feet to ten feet high. A few days back they were selling Ganpati idols. The left-over idols remained there sad and unsold, maybe cursing their luck.

 

Moment, I halted my Bullet, I was surrounded by sellers. ‘A Ravan kina ra’, I enquired. How much is this Ravan for? Che sau ra. Jiyada paap dhona hoye pher bada le lo ek hazaar ra. This guy was a talkative guy. I had only stopped to see the colourful sidewalk. Photo khech lu, pacche lain au. Khecho-Khecho, ghana ravan pareya hai, he told me. You can click photos as there are many Ravans lying in store.

 

In our colony too there was hectic activity during Navratri celebrations. Dandia, fasting, kanjake etc culminating into lighting Ravan on fire. We all got together in a procession. A horse drawn buggy with our children depicting Ram, Sita, Hanuman, and a few from the vanar sena accompanied them.

 

I used to participate in the vanar sena as a child. Red painted faces, with a stiff tail made of straw. Besides the act, the main attraction was a piece of mithai and a bread pakora we used to get for participation. We would make our own bows and arrows and even swords from cardboard. Silver paper was pasted on the sword blade to give that glimmer. On the orders of 'Akraman', we would go fighting with whosoever was not dressed like a monkey. What fun it used to be in the good old days!

 

Some SNAFUs have to happen in every Ramlila function. Sometimes the effigies would fall on their own. Ram’s arrow would break or not reach Ravan. At times the VIP won’t know how to hold the bow. Sometimes, the crackers won’t fire. Fire would engulf the Ramlila stage. The fire truck won’t start. We got to see the climax scene of a film called ‘Jane Bhi do yaaro’.

 

Here, loading taxis were used to transport Ravans. Many Ravans ‘jumped off’ terrified from the breakneck speed of the taxi. Many lost their ‘clothes’ as high-speed winds tore them away. Ours reached in one piece, thank God.

 

The procession carrying all Ramlila characters passed by our home on a buggy. It was in the nick of time my camera came into action. The buggy stopped infront of our house and the horse won’t budge. The owner of the horse tried hard by pulling it, cajoling it, patting it but it just liked the ambience it seemed.

 

Then out came his ‘sheath’, yes, that is what our ‘ustad’ in NDA had taught us. When Pachigola, my course mate was asked about ‘parts of horse’ to pass the equestrian test and this part in particular, he showed the ‘sheet’ of blankets under the saddle. He passed with grace marks. I won’t call it the ‘pen-is’ as it might offend a few, but this horse wanted to desperately pee. Till our horse unloaded five litres in a pool on the road, it didn’t budge.

 

Finally, the procession and the society people reached the open ground to finally say goodbye to Ravan. The fire was lit and crackers burst without any glitch. Within minutes, we could see the skeleton of Ravan. Then he fell to the ground biting the dust.

 

It was time to head home. We bid goodnight to each other and dispersed. Everyone was happy like each of us had fought that war ourselves and were victors. That was the expression on everyone’s face. Evil was dead. Hopefully.

 

Can you guys relate to this kind of Dussehra celebrations? I wonder!!!!!!!

 

JAI HIND

©® NOEL ELLIS